Three years later, Chris Bosh still Heat's key component

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are still grabbing the spotlight for the Miami Heat, whether for their play on the court or attire off it.

The other constant remains center Chris Bosh being the team's overlooked but most important component. It's been that way now for three seasons. Still, Bosh continues to find ways to make himself relevant.

He was vital when the Heat rebounded in the series after losing to the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bosh averaged 15.6 and 10 rebounds in the three consecutive victories that allowed the Heat to take control.

"He's our most important player for a reason," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We've said that now for three years. He allows everything to work on both ends of the floor. He has to be a paint presence for us defensively. When he's active and getting off the floor and playing big, playing 7 feet, we're a different team."

That was evident when momentum shifted the moment Bosh became more assertive. He had a career-high 19 rebounds in Game 3, outplaying the Bulls' frontcourt of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah in a department he's often criticized.

Bosh then started strong in Game 4 in Chicago, scoring 10 first-quarter points. That, in turn, opened things up offensively for LeBron James.

"Offensively, he ties everything together because we run so much of our offense through him," Spoelstra said. "Everybody else benefits from that, but oftentimes he has to sacrifice for it. He's been giving us that presence on both ends that we need."

As usual, most of the attention falls on the Heat's other two All-Stars. James being named to the All-Defensive team earlier this week overshadowed the recent play of Bosh. Wade's injury status also was a hotter topic.

Bosh has grown accustomed to it since joining the Heat after being the primary option in Toronto for seven seasons.

"Everybody says they want to win,'' Bosh said. "But it's always about what you're willing to sacrifice to win. My situation is totally different. I rarely get play calls and before I was getting about 20 touches a game just off play calls [with Toronto]. And that's just something that I had to get used to. Just trying to match a different role in a different situation, it's been extremely difficult for me. But I've kind of embraced that challenge and it continues to be a challenge. It's never been easy. I try to rise to the top no matter what I do.''

No resting Wade

Wade was in the lineup despite still being hampered by a sore knee that has bothered him since March.

He sat the last time the Heat were in position to close out a series. With the team holding a 3-0 lead, he did not play in Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Spoelstra said every circumstance is different.

"You have to consider each day separately," Spoelstra said. "He had a very good [Tuesday]. He had a good shootaround today. We'll evaluate him tonight and go from there. Oftentimes, the days are different. You can't necessarily draw on how he was feeling two weeks ago. It's really in the moment."

Wade said he was surprised the injury caused such a stir. He was even more shocked there was debate if he would play Wednesday.

"It is what it is," Wade said. "I've been dealing with this for the whole playoffs. There's really no story here, nothing new. It's the same thing I've been dealing with. It ain't getting no better, it ain't getting no worse."

Unique attire explained

Wade also caused quite a stir with his postgame outfit for Monday's game in Chicago.

He wore a suit with capri pants that quickly spread over the Internet. The attire was criticized by everyone from his Twitter followers to NBA analyst Charles Barkley.

Again, Wade said the reaction was unexpected.

"It's just different looks that I go through," he said. "It was just another one in the repertoire. I didn't think it was going to get that much attention, but you know me."